In computer operations, instructions such as single instruction multiple data (SIMD) and media block instructions are commonly utilized for in graphical processing operations. SIMD instructions are instructions in a parallel architecture in which an operation specified in one instruction applies to multiple sets of data. Media block instructions provide for either reading a rectangular block of data samples from a source surface and writing into a general register file array (GRF), or writing data from the GRF to a rectangular block.
However, conventional graphical processor unit (GPU) implementations require significant area and power consumption to support the processing of such instructions, and as a result such instructions are expensive to implement in a system.